medicines regulation - national · drug giant forks out $65,000 on posh nosh for doctors the...
TRANSCRIPT
Medicines regulation - National
David LeggeSavar, November 2018
(Several slides from Ken Harvey gratefully acknowledged)
1
National regulation• Licensing of manufacturers and certification of foreign manufacture
(GMP – good manufacturing practice)• Approval / notification of clinical trials• Registration of medicines / marketing approval
– pre-approval evaluation– post-approval pharmacovigilance
• Labelling and packaging • Advertising, promotion, guidelines, advice• Prescribing and use / quality use of medicines• Price regulation • Subsidy and public procurement (EML - essential medicines lists);
institutional procurement• Shortage notification and response
2
3
Health systems strengthening
• Universal health cover including social pooling to cover the cost of medicines
• Effective bulk purchasing, tight health system logistics, contract solutions to production and distribution shortfalls
• Clinical governance including clinical guidelines and quality assurance
4
Data for marketing approval• Quality data
– composition of the drug substance and the drug product– batch consistency– stability data– sterility data (if applicable)– the impurity content
• Nonclinical data– pharmacology data– toxicology data
• Clinical data– results of clinical trials– results of post-approval surveillance
• Risk management plan (pharmacovigilance)
5
Pharmacovigilance
• Risk management plan– analysis (and review) of safety profile of drug– initial drug evaluation data for marketing approval– monitoring activities
• routine • additional
– risk minimisation activities• routine • additional
6
Risk monitoring
• Routine– evaluation for approval– adverse event reporting– periodic update safety
reports– identification and
analysis of safety signals(eg WHO product alerts)
• Additional– clinical trials – post-authorisation safety
studies – drug utilisation studies – patient registries – physician surveys – prescription event
monitoring
7
Risk minimisation
• Routine– product information – consumer medicine
information – directions for use
document – labelling, pack size and
design – legal (prescription)
status
• Additional– education programs – prescriber checklists – DHCP letters – controlled access
programs – medical software alerts
8
9
10
Inappropriate use• Impact
– over use– wrong treatment– inadequate treatment
• Causes– doctors’ lack of information– doctors’ lack of commitment to evidence based practice– aggressive marketing– weak regulation– consumer pressure
• Necessary background– medicines promotion; principles, precedents and politics– professional education– struggles over medicines regulation – community attitudes and expectations
11
WHO (2002)• Worldwide more than 50% of all medicines are
prescribed, dispensed, or sold inappropriately, while 50% of patients fail to take them correctly.
• Common types of irrational medicine use are: – the use of too many medicines per patient
(polypharmacy);– inappropriate use of antimicrobials, often in inadequate
dosage, for non-bacterial infections; – over-use of injections when oral formulations would be
more appropriate; – failure to prescribe in accordance with clinical guidelines; – inappropriate self-medication, often of prescription only
medicines.
WHO (2002). Promoting Rational Use of Medicines: Core Components. WHO Policy Perspectives on Medicines. Geneva, World Health Organization 12
Inappropriate prescribing for the elderly
• Brazil (60+ years, discharged from tertiary hospital)– 13.9% potentially inappropriate medications– 39.1% potential prescribing omissions
• Los Angeles (400 elderly African Americans)– 70% potentially inappropriate medications– 27% taking at least one medication classified as
“Avoid”• US Veterans Health Administration (older adults
receiving OP care)– 12.3% potentially inappropriate prescriptions
13
Inappropriate antibiotic use (WHO, 2005)
• In industrialized countries, around 80-90% of antibiotic use for humans occurs in the community– at least half of this is based on incorrect indications,
mostly viral infections– contributing to widening threat of resistance
• Extensive use of antibiotics in livestock production contribute to spread of resistance
• Antimicrobial resistance plus reduced R&D threatens a ‘post-antibiotic era’
14
Medicines promotion• Aggressive marketing of under-patent drugs standard practice
– maximise revenues before patent expires– embed brand name familiarity to maintain price premium after patent expires
• Includes– public relations– advertising– direct marketing (‘medical representatives’)
• Spending 50-100% more than on R&D• Benefits and risks
– rapid translation of therapeutic advances into practice– encourages over-servicing and inappropriate prescribing– drives cost escalation – builds community expectations: ‘a pill for every ill’
• WHO ‘Ethical criteria’• National regulatory norms
– principles and precedents• Politics and debates
15
WHO: ethical criteria for drug promotion
• … claims concerning medicinal drugs should be reliable, accurate, truthful, informative, balanced, up-to-date, capable of substantiation and in good taste
• [promotional material] should not contain misleading or unverifiable statements or omissions likely to induce medically unjustifiable drug use or to give rise to undue risks
• The word "safe" should only be used if properly qualified. Comparison of products should be factual, fair and capable of substantiation.
• Promotional material should not be designed so as to disguise its real nature.
• Scientific and educational activities should not be deliberately used for promotional purposes.
• Advertisements to the general public … should not generally be permitted for prescription drugs or to promote drugs for certain serious conditions that can be treated only by qualified health practitioners.
16
Common practices• Advertising• Public relations• Medical detailing• Advertisements within prescribing software• Gifts (equipment, travel, accommodation, etc)• Sponsored dinners, recreational events• Conference sponsorship• Journal support through advertising• Sponsored research• Sponsored clinical guidelines• Consultancies and advisory boards• Ghostwriting• Support for patient associations• Disease mongering (meetings, media, reports)
17
Disease mongering
PLoS Medicine. A collection of articles on disease mongering: how drug companies sell sickness. Presented at the Inaugural Conference on Disease Mongering, Newcastle, Australia, April 11-13, 2006. http://collections.plos.org/diseasemongering-2006.php
18
Drug Promotion: Why the concern?
• Pharmaceutical promotion selectively promotes the benefits of the latest and most expensive drugs.
• It provides minimal information about drug side-effects, contra-indications and opportunity costs.
• Cost-effective generic drugs and non-drug solutions are rarely promoted.
Drug giant forks out $65,000 on posh nosh for doctors
The Australian, July 21, 2006
19
“Pigs and reptiles”
• Some 80-95% of doctors regularly see drug reps despite evidence that their information is overly positive and prescribing habits are less appropriate as a result.
• Many doctors receive multiple gifts from drug companies every year, yet most doctors deny their influence despite considerable evidence to the contrary.
BMJ 2003;326 (31 May)20
However
• Industry-doctor interaction correlates with: – doctors' preferences for new products that hold
no demonstrated advantage over existing ones. – decreased prescribing of generic drugs.– a rise in both and irrational and incautious
prescribing. – rising prescription expenditures.
21
“Pigs and reptiles”
22
Independent information
澳大利亚药物不良反应通报
23
Quality Assurance Cycle
Continually updatedstandards of practice: treatment guidelines
Drug audit / utilisation review
Practitioner reflection / targeted education
Feedback results to health administrators and guideline authors
24
Independent advice
• Invest in provision of independent advice; – professionals (including clinical guidelines,
academic detailing); – consumers (including social marketing)
(inappropriate use)
25
Antibiotic Guidelines
• Best practice recommendations concerning the treatment of choice for common clinical problems.
• Written by teams of national experts.• Evidence based where possible.• Regularly updated.• Endorsed by Medical Associations, Colleges, etc.• Used for medical education, problem look-up, drug
audit and targeted educational campaigns.
26
NPS: Academic detailingAlso: home medication review
by pharmacists
28
Results: antibiotics scripts 1990-2004
30
• The NPS initially received about $5 million per annum (for four years) in 1997/98.
• A evaluation of their first three years of operations suggested their activities achieved PBS savings of over $15 million per annum for a cost of $5 million per annum.
• Their budget has subsequently been increased and a consumer education moiety has been added.
• Spending money on RDU activities saves money by reducing inappropriate drug use.
31
In hospitals: drug and therapeutics committees (DTCs)
• Select cost-effective drugs for the hospital formulary.
• Develop (or adapt) and implement standard treatment guidelines.
• Audit drug use to identify problems.
• Conduct interventions to improve drug use.
• Manage adverse drug reactions and medication errors.
• Educate staff about drug use issues, policies and decisions.
32